Law enforcement conducts first of four fake ID stings in Lawrence

Local law enforcement agencies conducted the first of four planned fake ID stings in Lawrence on Monday night, the same night the Kansas University men’s basketball team played Oklahoma in front of a national TV audience.

Five people were found using fake IDs in 35 different bars, liquor stores and restaurants that were randomly checked, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Bill Cory.

Nine officers from the Lawrence Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas University Public Safety Office and Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control conducted the ID operation in the city.

This week’s sting is part of a larger information and enforcement campaign, dubbed Fake ID 101, to reduce alcohol access to minors. Three more saturation patrols are scheduled before the end of March, including after spring break, when DCCCA Inc. officials said students sometimes travel abroad, obtain fake IDs and then bring them back with them.

“This whole idea is about deterring young people from using fake IDs,” said Mini Kaur, co-chair of the New Tradition Coalition of Lawrence, a local alcohol- and drug-free advocacy group. “Young people need to know there are consequences for breaking the law, and they also need to know these laws are actually going to be enforced.”

As part of the campaign, bars, restaurants and liquor stores in Lawrence are placing information at their doors and in their windows regarding the consequences of using counterfeit IDs, organizers said. If someone underage is caught using a fake ID, he or she faces a fine of up to $2,500 and possible jail time.

Jen Brinkerhoff, director of the Regional Prevention Center of East Central Kansas, a program of DCCCA Inc., said 32 people had been caught with fake IDs this year in the city. She said 118 charges were issued last year in Lawrence.